Super Saiyan
The Super Saiyan, also known as the ,Dragon Ball Z chapter 86, pages 2 is a heightened transformation unique to exceptionally strong members of the Saiyan race.Dragon Ball Z chapter 86, pages 2-3 History Before the start of the series, the Super Saiyan transformation was part of the Saiyan mythology about the ultimate fighter. According to Vegeta, it was believed that a Super Saiyan appeared once every thousand years. In the anime, the Super Saiyan legend was expounded further upon. There it was explained that the previous Super Saiyan had been so strong that he had been forced to use it only in his Giant Monkey Transformation.Dragon Ball Z episode 66, FUNimation dub Appearance & Personality The transformation into a Super Saiyan isn't a drastic one. The hallmarks of the Super Saiyan transformation are raised, golden hair, which includes their eyebrows and their tail (if they still possess one);Dragon Ball GT episode 33 green eyes; and a slightly increased muscle mass. The Saiyan's aura becomes a vibrant shade of gold, while also becoming more erratic and flame-like.Dragon Ball Z chapter 125 Personality wise, the transformation is far more extreme. When Goku first transformed into a Super Saiyan, he became overcome with grief, rage, and an insatiable desire for revenge. Additionally, Goku's already incredible desire for battle is increased, to the point that he refuses North Kaiō's pleas to not allow Freeza to reach his maximum power. At the same time, the Saiyan experiences increases in their natural arrogance to the point of extremely rash behavior. Goku, for instance, allowed Freeza to obtain his maximum power and frequently toyed with the tyrant as a result of his newfound power.Dragon Ball Z chapter 127 In the case of Vegeta, on the other hand, the transformation increased his sense of superiority, which lead to the Saiyan challenging the superior Android 18 alone in combat, resulting in his defeat.Dragon Ball Z chapters 158-159 With training, these personality flaws can eventually be overcome, allowing the Saiyan to display their usual behavior, rather than these more aggressive tendencies, while in a transformed state.Dragon Ball Z chapter 197 Attributes In order for a Saiyan to become a Super Saiyan, they must first surpass the limitations of their species.Daizenshuu 5, page 104 Afterwards, if their heart is pure and they experience an extreme rage, the Saiyan can turn into a Super Saiyan. Purity of heart can refer to that of both good and evil. In the anime, Goku states that the transformation responds to a need rather than a desire while teaching his son, Gohan, how to transform into a Super Saiyan.Dragon Ball Z episode 156 The Super Saiyan transformation, and all of its variants, drastically increase the Saiyan's speed, strength, and power. In terms of power, the Saiyan has their power level amplified by two-hundred fold.Interview with Akira Toriyama: "My feeling as the creator is that, while drawing it, I felt that it was about a 10-fold change from what it was up to that point." Since Goku's maximum power "up to that point" was Kaioken x20, ten-fold more would bring the grand total to 200 fold. After witnessing Goku's Super Saiyan transformation, Tenshinhan commented that his power was in a completely different dimension; this being despite the fact that Goku's power was drastically weakened by his heart virus.Dragon Ball Z chapter 147, pages 6-9 Upon transforming, Goku was able to dominate the incredibly powerful Freeza and Vegeta made short work of Android 19.Dragon Ball Z chapter 150 The Saiyan also gains an increase in durability. For example, Goku was able to take an otherwise-lethal Death Beam to his head and received only a mild bruise as damage. Despite these obvious advantages, the transformation is not without its weaknesses. The most obvious drawback is the increased consumption of the Saiyan's energy. Additionally, their energy becomes erratic and hard to focus. The transformation also puts a great deal of stress on the Saiyan's body. In Goku's case, this additional stress brought on the heart virus, laying dormant within him, earlier than it would normally have appeared.Dragon Ball Z chapter 148, page 2 These drawbacks can be overcome with strenuous training, during which the Saiyan attempts to stay in the Super Saiyan state until their bodies adapt and it becomes normal for them. This is referred to as a .Daizenshuu 2 Goku and Gohan were the first Saiyans to achieve this more natural Super Saiyan state. Upon witnessing them in their mastered Super Saiyan form, Vegeta notes that their energy had lost its erratic traits and felt more like their normal form. In addition to overcoming the energy consumption of the traditional Super Saiyan transformation, Saiyans who have mastered the form also retain their normal personalities and lack the violent qualities of the original transformation.Dragon Ball Z chapter 198 These combined enhancements allow the Saiyan to focus their energy and bring out the true power of the Super Saiyan transformation—transcending even the Ascended Saiyan enhancements. After his battles with Majin Boo and the God of Destruction, Beerus, Goku realized that mastering both his based form and the original Super Saiyan transformation would drain less of his energy, allowing him to become even more powerful than Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3. For this reason, he stops using transformations beyond an ordinary Super Saiyan.[http://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/saikyo-jump-june-2014-issue-twel-buu-mysteries/ Saikyō Jump 2014], Akira Toriyama After obtaining [[Super Saiyan God|godly ki]], Goku and Vegeta's Super Saiyan transformation is replaced by Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan; this form is merely the Super Saiyan transformation with godly energy.Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F Ascended Saiyan After losing his battle against Android 18, Vegeta angrily announced his plan to obtain power beyond the level of a Super Saiyan. With the threat of both the Androids and Cell hanging over them, the other Saiyans—including Goku, Gohan, and Future Trunks—joined his endeavor to reach a level above Super Saiyan. While both Vegeta and Trunks' attempts to surpass the Super Saiyan level initially failed, the Saiyans succeeded in discovering a level beyond the first Super Saiyan when Gohan became a Super Saiyan 2 against Cell during the Cell Games.Dragon Ball Z chapter 214 Super Saiyan Second Grade After training in the Room of Spirit and Time, both Vegeta and Future Trunks emerged having ascended beyond the Super Saiyan state. The Daizenshuu 7 is an enhanced Super Saiyan state in which the Saiyan concentrates their power into their nerves to inflate their muscles. The result is a state that is both stronger and faster than a typical Super Saiyan. This stage is visually identical to the ordinary Super Saiyan transformation with the exception of more rigid hair and an increased muscle mass. The increase in power allowed both Vegeta and Trunks to dominate Cell after the futuristic android had absorbed Android 17.Dragon Ball Z chapters 183-184 However, the success of the form didn't last long, as it was no match for Cell once he obtained his Perfect Form''Dragon Ball Z'' chapter 189 and, in the anime, was no use against the Cell Juniors during the Cell Games.Dragon Ball Z episode 183 Ultimately, the Super Saiyan Second Grade was abandoned in favor of the vastly more powerful Super Saiyan 2 transformation. Super Saiyan Third Grade The is a further enhancement of the Super Saiyan transformation obtained by both Future Trunks and Goku during their training in the Room of Spirit and Time. This form floods the body with tremendous inner power, inflating the Saiyan's muscles to their limits. Trunks used this form in order to fight Perfect Cell after the Bio-Android had defeated his father, Vegeta.Dragon Ball Z chapter 191 The limits of this grade were apparent almost immediately. Despite being granted a power that surpassed Perfect Cell, the increased muscle mass of this form made it difficult for Trunks to move fast enough to hit the evil Android, resulting in his defeat.Dragon Ball Z chapter 193 The Super Saiyan Third Grade would be abandoned completely after Trunks' fight with Perfect Cell due to these drawbacks. Variations Saiyans are capable of pushing their power beyond the limitations of a Super Saiyan into other transformations. These forms, however, are simply variations of the traditional Super Saiyan. Super Saiyan 2 is the direct successor to the original Super Saiyan transformation. It is characterized by more rigid hair, a more violent aura, and present in the aura. It has power that surpasses an ordinary Super Saiyan in all ways and was first obtained by Gohan during the Cell Games. Super Saiyan 3 is the third transformation in the Super Saiyan line and was the most powerful until it was surpassed by the Super Saiyan God. It draws out the power of the Super Saiyan to its maximum. It is characterized by the disappearance of the Saiyan's eyebrows and the waist-long hair it produces. It was first achieved by Goku during his seven years of training in the Other World. Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan is the result of using godly energy while transforming into a Super Saiyan. The result is a transformation that is even more powerful than the Super Saiyan God. It is characterized by the blue hair and eyes that it gives the Saiyan. It was obtained simultaneously by Goku and Vegeta during their training with Whis. In Other Timelines Movies In the movie timelines, two additional Super Saiyan transformations are present. The first of these appears in Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiyan Goku and is known as the . This transformation is essentially the Super Saiyan form without its trademark golden hair and green eyes. The Pseudo Super Saiyan transformation is only temporary and eventually will disappear. It was obtained by Goku during the battle against Lord Slug.Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiyan Goku The second transformation appears in ''Dragon Ball Z: Burn Up!! A Close, Intense, Super-Fierce Battle and is known as the . In the movie's timeline, this transformation is the true Super Saiyan spoken about in Saiyan legend—one that appears once every thousand years. It awakens in Broli, another survivor of Freeza's genocide, who fights the Z Warriors in an attempt to kill them. It is characterized as an incredibly muscular Super Saiyan, similar to a Super Saiyan Third Grade, with no irides and a green tint to the hair and aura. This form appears to surpass both Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2 in terms of raw power.Dragon Ball Z: Burn Up!! A Close, Intense, Super-Fierce BattleDragon Ball Z: The Dangerous Duo! Super Warriors Never Rest In Other Media Dragon Ball GT Super Saiyan 4 In the anime-only sequel, Dragon Ball GT, a fourth transformation of Super Saiyan is possible by gaining control of the power of the Golden Great Ape transformation and reverting to a humanoid form. The result is the , a transformation stronger than the Super Saiyan 3. While in this form, the Saiyan regains their black hair and gains red fur around their upper bodies and along their tail, as well as dark red marks around their eyes. This transformation was used to combat enemies such as Baby, Super 17, and Omega Shenron.Dragon Ball GT episode 34 It was obtained by Goku, Vegeta, and their fusion, Gogeta. Trivia * Son Goku is the only Saiyan in the series to have obtained every canon Super Saiyan transformation, in addition to the movie-only Pseudo Super Saiyan and the anime-only Super Saiyan 4. This does not include, however, the movie-only Legendary Super Saiyan. * In Daizenshuu 7, it is stated that a Super Saiyan is more powerful than a Saiyan's base state by fifty-fold. Akira Toriyama later discounted this as an "exaggeration" and clarified that Super Saiyan was ten fold stronger than Goku was at the time. Since his highest power level, at that time, was Kaioken amplified by twenty, this makes Super Saiyan more powerful than the base state by two-hundred fold. References See also * Super Saiyan God Category:Transformations